The present invention relates generally to microwave transmission systems and more particularly to an RF power divider capable of handling relatively high power with forced air cooling.
Cavity power dividers have proven to be the best suited component to interface with active phase array elements of satellite microwave transmission antenna systems. Prior RF power dividers are mostly corporate feed types. The prior art includes either waveguide tee junctions, or hybrid couplers. Square coaxial hybrid couplers are also used as power dividers.
One example of a prior art power divider is described in a document entitled "44 GHz Monolithic Conformal Active Transmit Phased Array Antenna," 1987, delivered under contract number F19628-83-C-0115 by Harris Corporation. There is disclosed a power divider consisting of a rectangular waveguide plate (parallel plate or Pillbox Feed), a ridged waveguide to coaxial transition, a short section of ridged waveguide, and coaxial to output port.
Another example of the prior art is described in a document entitled "20 GHz Monolithic Conformal Active Receive Phased Array Antenna," March 1989, delivered under contract number F19628-83-C-0109 by Ball Aerospace Corporation. The Ball power divider consists of complex microstrip coupler power dividing circuits, wave-guide-to-E-plane transitions, and mini-coax connected directly to microstrip as output port. The disadvantages of these above-noted conventional devices include: low thermal dissipation efficiency, complex cooling systems, high manufacturing costs, and high RF insertion loss.